Sugar Dog Life – Series Review & Episode Guide

Isumi is a 20-year-old university student who has joined the school's cooking club with his friends Yohei and Shoji. Since he is handsome and a talented chef, the other club members all admire him. After a party, Isumi is pretty drunk as he walks home. He encounters Amasawa, a 30-year-old police officer. A concerned Amasawa asks to see Isumi's ID to verify he isn't an underage drinker. Afterwards, Amasawa accompanies Isumi to ensure he arrives home safely.

Isumi works a part-time job at a convenience store. During his shift, he's surprised to see Amasawa, the same neighbourhood cop he met last night. Amasawa is interested in buying lunch at the convenience store and asks Isumi for recommendations. Isumi seems reluctant to talk to the police officer who interrogated him yesterday. However, Amasawa maintains a cheerful demeanour. Eventually, Isumi picks a few items from the shelves and helps him assemble a healthy meal.

Amasawa keeps visiting the convenience store to buy food. Each time, he asks Isumi for product recommendations. Although Isumi is initially annoyed, he notices Amasawa's tendency to pick unhealthy foods from the store. During the cooking class, Isumi made an extra lunchbox. He wants to give it to Amasawa so that he can try more nutritious foods. The police officer is touched by his gesture. As they talk, Amasawa invites Isumi to visit his apartment and cook dinner.

Amasawa is single and lives alone in his apartment. From the state of his empty kitchen, Isumi can tell that Amasawa has no culinary experience. Using limited ingredients, Isumi still makes an impressive dinner for Amasawa, who is overjoyed to eat something so delicious. Isumi feels flattered by his sincere praise. After exchanging contact information, Amasawa regularly invites Isumi to hang out at his apartment. They start enjoying homemade meals together.

Despite their age gap and different backgrounds, Isumi and Amasawa become unexpected friends. As they spend time together, Isumi admires Amasawa's kindness toward everyone. The friendly neighbourhood cop enjoys helping people and protecting the community. Isumi slowly develops romantic feelings for his new friend. Even though he has a secret crush, Isumi thinks Amasawa doesn't reciprocate these feelings. He can't tell for sure since Amasawa often flirts with him. The line between friendship and romance becomes blurred.

Sugar Dog Life has a strong start. The first few episodes introduce the two protagonists, an earnest police officer and an adorable convenience store worker. They form an unexpected friendship based on many cute, lighthearted interactions. The series balances sweetness with playfulness, achieving the perfect tone for a romantic comedy. In addition, the warm colours and vibrant visuals add to the cheerful atmosphere. My happiness soars as I watch Sugar Dog Life, which maintains its momentum for a while.

The main characters are sweethearts who showcase their precious personalities in various scenes. In one episode, Isumi plans a party and works hard to prepare a fancy birthday cake. In another moment, Amasawa cooks a meal and sprinkles sugar on the food, joking that it needs a touch of love. I smile warmly at all their kind gestures and oddly endearing quirks. Both are such nice guys that I want to root for them, especially as a couple. They get along, support each other, and share similar values. Despite their different backgrounds and a notable age gap, they seem compatible.

Around Episode 4, the series begins to stall. Isumi develops a secret crush, but he doesn't believe his feelings are reciprocated. The story's pacing slows down as he agonizes over his unrequited love. Isumi and Amasawa are still bonding, but only by a little. They must stay in the friend zone instead of exploring their relationship adventurously. While not every couple needs to get together quickly, there's a long wait before this romance escalates. The lack of progress stifles my enthusiasm, and I don't feel as emotionally invested in Sugar Dog Life as before.

Amasawa hovers between subtle flirtation and just friendliness. You may interpret his behaviour romantically or platonically, and the series leaves enough ambiguity to keep you guessing either way. It gets harder to understand him in later episodes. Amasawa goes on a date with Isumi, holds his hand, and cuddles in bed. These gestures appear so intimate that he should've discovered his feelings earlier. As a viewer, I'm frustrated that he can't distinguish between friendship and romance. He seems out of touch for not realizing how his actions come across.

Sugar Dog Life enjoys attractive cinematography with polished production values. The cameras love Isumi's actor (Koki Tanaka) and capture his telegenic face in gorgeous close-up shots. The story is told from his character's perspective, giving him many opportunities to display his range. From comedic moments to dramatic exchanges, Koki handles the material confidently. While his costar (Hideya Tawada) seems decent, Amasawa's role is one-note. He always smiles pleasantly, but that's the core of his performance. I wanted to see him in more challenging scenes.

After tiptoeing around the romance forever, Sugar Dog Life nudges forward in the finale. Even then, the last episode still dwells on Amasawa's indecision. "Can you give me more time?" Well, no! You had the whole series to think about your feelings. He's like a procrastinating student who asks his teacher to extend the deadline for an overdue assignment. Although the story ends happily, it has stretched the relationship drama for too long. I lost my earlier enthusiasm for Sugar Dog Life and treat it as another pleasantly middle-of-the-road series in the BL genre.